The Dallas Police Department is asking residents to file some police reports online to limit face-to-face interaction between officers and the public.

The department has taken online reports since June, but the coronavirus pandemic makes the Dallas Online Reporting System a vital tool to protect the health of officers and residents, police say.

Residents filed 18,000 online reports in 2019, police said. About 1,600 have been filed since the beginning of March.

“Because of the time that we’re in right now, a great byproduct of this is now we can use it to [promote] social distancing between our officers and our citizens," said Maj. Israel Herrera. "We are still able to provide that service and investigate these calls without having our officers go out to their homes and chance us bringing the virus to them or us getting the virus.”

The homepage of dallaspolice.net.

Residents can fill out a report at dallaspolice.net. Click “File a Police Report Online.”

Police say other crimes, including those involving violence, should still be reported by calling 911.

Those without internet access can report all crimes by phone. Call takers will encourage callers to use the online service if they can, and might say officers won’t come out. But if a caller makes it clear officers are needed, officers will respond.

Filing a report doesn’t change how a crime is investigated, police said.

“The police report that you enter here on the online reporting system is investigated just as if a police officer had taken a report,” Herrera said.

Civilians using the online service should click on the type of report they’d like to fill out. There will be a description of the crime and an example, for people who need more clarity.

Sam Blum, Staff Writer. Sam covers SMU athletics and the Texas Rangers for The Dallas Morning News, and previously covered Auburn University athletics for AL.com. He's also covered University of Virginia athletics for The Daily Progress in Charlottesville. He graduated from Syracuse University.